Boxing ‘all or nothing’
Aucklander Tawhiri ToheririHallett has won an award to help him in a boxing career.
He got his start boxing at a gym at the age of 8. Now he is a You Do You winner.
Supported by UP Education and Young Enterprise, You Do
You is a nationwide Manaaki initiative to give away $1000 to one rangatahi every week for 10 weeks.
‘‘We started this initiative because at Manaaki we know the wealth of talent amongst rangatahi, and that they often don’t have the financial means or support to take that next step of turning dreams into careers,’’ Manaaki general manager Rachel Adams says.
For Toheriri-Hallett, boxing has always been his passion and ticket to a better future. ‘‘Nothing else can get me up early and keep me up late at night – it’s not about altercation, I see boxing as an art form. I’ve seen it change people’s lives and it’s changed mine.’’
However, leaving school in hometown Gisborne, starting a supermarket job and then working in forestry saw ToheririHallett lose that passion.
‘‘I’d been boxing for 9 years – always fighting big city boys and I’m just a competitor from Gizzy. It felt like I was never rewarded for what I thought was a lot of effort and sacrifices.
‘‘I started to get worn out. So, I took a step back and knew I needed to take a risk.’’
That risk saw Toheriri-Hallett move to Auckland, enrol at the New Zealand Institute of Sport, a new boxing gym, and catch the eye of the Manaaki team.
‘‘Failure is scary, taking risks is scary but boxing is all or nothing for me and it’s starting to pay off,’’ he says.
To date, more than 50 applications have been posted on Manaaki’s You Do You rangatahi group in their online community, which already has more than 250 members. Adams says the Manaaki team hopes to create a positive, empowering environment inside the group that is a safe space for rangatahi to share their dreams.
Alongside the You Do You grants, Manaaki is building a community of mentors, advisers, employers, and trainers in the group that can offer their time, networks, and open doors for these rangatahi once they’ve seen what their dreams are. Applications are still open until March 24, and Toheriri-Hallett is keen to see other rangatahi in central Auckland apply.
‘‘Believe in yourself, take risks, never give up. Nothing could happen for years but staying loyal to your passion can turn everything around.
‘‘Accept failure, because it will come. It’s where you learn more about yourself than success ever can. Pushing through failures is when you start to catch your dreams.’’